Moisture resistance and superior strength properties were two key attributes mentioned regarding the selection of DensDeck® Roof Board as the membrane substrate for Siplast’s Veral® modified bitumen roofing membrane utilized on The New Orleans Sports Arena.

This prestigious 18,000 seat facility, built right behind the Superdome, opened in 1999 with a minor league hockey team and the Tulane University Men’s basketball team expected to be the primary tenants.

“This roof presented some special design considerations,” stated Kirk Hagstatt of Arthur Q. Davis Architects. “Due to the arena’s size and the roof’s unusual shape, the roof would be highly visible from ground level; therefore, appearance and long-term durability were the most important design considerations.” Additionally, designers had to deal with potential severe wind exposures and high exterior relative humidity.

With these challenging parameters in mind, designers combined torched down Siplast Veral and Georgia-Pacific’s DensDeck Roof Board to meet the rigorous demands required by this project. The aluminum clad surface of Veral fulfilled the architect’s conceptual idea of a uniform rolling surface appearance and DensDeck Roof Board provided a firm, moisture-resistant, and dimensionally stable base to support the roofing membrane.

“The excellent modulus of rupture, high compressive strength, and moisture resistance of DensDeck will enhance roof wind uplift performance,” stated T.W. Freeman, a Registered Roof Consultant from Newark, Ohio. “The superior strength of DensDeck provides greater wind uplift resistance and it reduces the chances of board fracture that often occurs at the base of fastener stress plates. This is especially true with a fully adhered torch down application such as this.” Additionally, the combination of embedded glass matt surfacing and a water-resistant treated core make DensDeck Roof Board very conducive to adhesion.

Finally, the torch applied aluminum clad Veral® system was installed to provide aesthetics and waterproofing protection. Veral is made up of two sheet components, namely Irex and Veral. The base ply, Irex, consists of a quality high-melt asphalt with random glass reinforcement. The top ply, Veral, combines a woven glass-reinforced, SBS-modified asphalt base with a protective metal foil facing.

The New Orleans Sports Arena roof presented some interesting challenges. Georgia-Pacific’s DensDeck Roof Board and Siplast Veral met these challenges. The roof is designed to serve long term as a design element as well as provide protection from the weather.

The roofing contractor, Carriere Stumm of New Orleans, installed 142,000 square feet (13,192 m2) of DensDeck on this project.

HALFWAY HOUSE

Known as “The Halfway House,” these two separate residences on Bayou Boisdore in Pass Christian, MS definitely get a second look from passers-by. Approximately 3,500 sq. ft. of Petersen’s Snap-Clad™ Metal Roofing Panels was installed on each of the

two residences. Finished in Silver Metallic, the .032 aluminum panels provide a unifying look. The owner, architect and general contractor on the project was Rob Stumm, president of Carriere-Stumm, Inc., New Orleans, a commercial roofing and sheet metal construction company.

“I had the opportunity to buy two adjoining lots,” says Stumm. “I’ve always claimed I could design and build two as cheaply as one so this was my chance to prove it. Of course, it definitely helped that a friend who is in the drywall and structural steel business bought the second lot. We were able to trade services.”

“I designed the structure to resemble a West Indies-type plantation house and basically cut it in half,” says Stumm. Each residence is approximately 3,200 square feet. Stumm planned The Halfway House to be hurricane proof and Katrina proved the integrity of Stumm’s

design. “There’s no wood on the house,” Stumm says. “All of the columns and exterior elements are covered with PAC-CLAD material. We had no structural damage and the Snap-Clad roof held tight. But there was 26’ of water in the house. We gutted the living quarters on the second floor, hosed it out and put up new drywall. It’s as good as new!”